Just Another Year
by EndlessImmortal
Summary: The gang is back for a final year at Hogwarts. Will two former enemies put their pasts behind them in light of new situations? Finding themselves in places they never imagined, Harry and Draco learn to make amends. M for language and sexual situations D/H
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya readers :] I'm aware that I already have a HP story goin on somewhere else, but I kinda got out of that..**

**But something I will never fall out of love with is some Drarry :DD**

**Here's an idea I got.**

**FOREWARD: contains some slash in later chapters, if it's not your cuppa tea, then im telling you now, you're warned ;)**

**(also: this is set in their seventh year, the war has been won, and everyone's back to re-do their previous year. All character deaths are still included.)**

"Harry, check these out!"

Harry Potter was sitting with his two best friends in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, absentmindedly rubbing the scar on his forehead when Ron's voice snapped him out of his daydreaming.

"What?" Harry sat up and looked over towards his friend, who was excitedly brandishing a shiny package that was half-unwrapped.

"Fireworks!" Ron stressed. Harry raised his eyebrows and he noticed Hermione peeking over at them from the top of her book.

"Who'd you nick those off of?" Harry laughed.

"Nobody, you git, I found 'em in the bottom of my trunk. Must've been a prototype from my brothers they'd snuck in." Harry noticed the way Ron was unable to say his older twin brothers' names. Any mention of the ones who had given their lives for Harry's safety caused an uncomfortably despairing silence to fall among the group.

Harry ignored the fractional moment of awkwardness.

"Nice, what do they…do?" Harry questioned.

Ron seemed to look at him like he was an idiot.

"You grew up with Muggles, yet you've no idea what a firecracker does?"

Harry promptly chucked a half-eaten Chocolate Frog at Ron, who dodged it deftly. "Of course I know what they do!" Harry defended. "But what makes these different?"

"Well, knowing Fre-" Hermione, who interrupted, caught herself, "Ron's brothers, they're probably laced with something really stupid…or dangerous. Or perhaps, and most likely, both."

Harry glanced at his second best friend, noticing the blood that was pooling into her cheeks from her near slip-up. Hoping Ron didn't notice it, Harry covered up any doubt by uttering an obnoxiously fake laugh.

Ron ignored both of them before continuing, "I always thought I heard loud noises from their room." He smiled at a memory. "I remember once they accidentally blew a hole through their ceiling and the attic, putting a hole in the roof. Mum was furious, and Dad couldn't repair it with magic. Took them weeks to patch those holes."

"Are you sure you should have those, Ron?" Hermione asked him meekly upon hearing his story.

"Relax, 'Mione, what Filch doesn't know won't hurt him," He responded with a wink, leaning across the seats to plant a sloppy kiss on her mouth. She giggled in a very un-Hermione-ish way and blushed even deeper than before. Ron simply smiled and ate the rest of the Chocolate Frog Harry had thrown at him.

"I bet you can't wait to try those out." Harry remarked.

"Yeah, want to tonight?" Ron asked him through a mouthful f chocolate.

Harry nodded, hearing Hermione humph in disagreement; he could see her face behind his now closed eyelids, her eyes rolling back and her mouth puckered in a disapproving grimace.

They sat in silence for several minutes before the time came for them to change into their robes.

Harry thought to himself how much different his final year at Hogwarts would be than all the others as they exited their compartment with their trunks in hand.

The first, and most obvious, difference was the absence of Professor Dumbledore behind the podium as everyone filed into the Great Hall for the Start of Term Feast.

Harry's heart ached as his mind replayed the old wizard's last moments, the flash of light from Professor Snape's wand and how the Headmaster was flung off the tower like an overlooked doll.

Despite the death of his role model, Professor McGonagall was a wonderful replacement who would likely bring the school to new heights. Not only was she one of the few female Headmistresses, she was the only one of both male and female descendants to continue teaching their previous position as well as hold the title of Headmaster or Mistress.

Harry felt that she would do Dumbledore justice, that she would repair the snipped heartstrings from the war. Now that Voldemort was gone, and the Death Eaters were all either dead or locked away forever in Azkaban, very little threat was left to loom over the students' heads. The returning students were anxious to start their previous year over without any worries of death, or Voldemort's minions breathing down their back, shooting curses at their feet.

Harry and Ron and Hermione gladly dug into their feast laughing and enjoying every moment they cpuld spend with each other. Harry glanced up off of his plare and looked across the Hall to the Slytherin table.

His eyes were drawn automatically to the blonde head that was ducked over a plate. Draco Malfoy lifted his head an glanced sullenly around the room, his grey eyes flitting between all the familiar faces around him. Harry felt a stab of pity for the lost boy with the hurt look on his face. He had saved Draco's life, and his father's had been lost shortly afterwards.

It wasn't like Harry had any fuzzy feelings for Malfoy, but he was practically on his own now. Harry believed he was no longer the evil being he once was, only one more misunderstood. Malfoy raised his eyes and caught Harry looking at him and sneered forcefully back. Harry snapped his head away and glared at his food.

"You alright, Mate?" Ron mumbled through his food. Harry looked up at him.

"Yeah, I uh…" Harry rubbed his eyes. "I'm fine."

Hermione gave him a concerned look and glanced over her shoulder at Malfoy, who was looking at the table.

"Thinking about Malfoy again?" She asked softly.

Dean, who was sitting beside Harry, snorted with laughter.

"Again? As in he's thought about him before?" Dean slapped Harry on the back. "Yeah, his father's dead and his Mum's insane, but that doesn't mean you got to go all gooey on us, Harry!" He slipped Harry a wink, and Harry felt his face flush.

"I-I was just wondering how he was doing." Harry defended himself in spite.

"Harry, Malfoy's had it out to do you in his entire existence. He was kicked out of the Death Eaters and now he's sad. He'll get over it." Ron replied, obviously wanting to end whatever discussion of Malfoy's feelings that was bound to come up next.

Harry grimaced and pushed his potatoes around his plate. He felt eyes on him and glanced up to see Hermione's cinnamon eyes looking at him, a concerned crease forming in the middle of her forehead.

Harry ignored her and finished his dinner.

Ron shot panicked looks all around him as Filch did his routine check of everyone's trunks in search of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, even though the store was now out of business. Ron had the illegal fireworks stashed under his cloak and in his trousers, a hiding spot he found to be the most clever. Hermione rolled her eyes at him for the second time that day, and surely not the last.

Harry laughed at first and second years as they got their Fanged Frisbees and Skiving Snackboxes confiscated, and a distraught fourth year was sobbing over the broken bottle of love potion that was seeping through the pocket of her robes.

"Just think, Ron, that was us our third year!" Seamus elbowed Ron in the ribs, apparently oblivious to the precious cargo Ron had under his clothing. Ron's face nearly turned purple with anxiety as Filch went through his things. His eyes lingered a little too long on the slight bulge on Ron's crotch.

"Oi!" Ron snapped at the old man, diverting his eyes from what was surely thought of as a rouge prick.

The caretaker, obviously flustered, pushed Ron forward and out of the way of his angry path towards a group of gallivanting fifth years.

Once out of the crowd, Harry, Ron, and Seamus broke into rib-splitting laughter at the encounter that had just happened.

"You are never living that one down, Weasley!" Seamus managed to choke out through his choking laughter.

The three boys joined Neville and Dean on the trek to Gryffindor tower and immediately shared the story of the day. Harry laughed with the rest, but a part of him felt detached, as if a hidden thought were nagging at the back of his mind, a thought that wasn't letting itself known.

He managed to shake it off by the time they reached the portrait and everyone looked at him for the password. Harry simply stammered back at them.

"You, of all people, Mister Potter should know this password." The Fat Lady chided at him. Harry shrugged. "Because it's you lot, I suppose I'll let you in." The Fat Lady grumbled with a sigh. "The password's: _"*

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise at the word, but was silent as the painting swung forwards and allowed the boys to clamber through the opening.

The common room was bustling as usual, the atmosphere tinged with the excitement of a new school year, a feeling that would die off by the end of the week as homework piled up and happiness was replaced with stress over classes. The chairs were temporarily taken by scattered books and letters that were dumped about by careless owners as they strove to tell every detail of their fearless summer to their friends. As Harry's presence in the room was noticed, the noise level diminished by a fraction and everyone, especially the first years, shot furtive glances at him.

Harry nodded and smiled at his old friends, ignoring the gaggle of giggling girls crowding the stairway to the boy's dormitory.

"Excuse me," Harry muttered as he pushed through the girls to his room.

His friends followed behind him and looked at each other curiously as they entered the familiar circular room they had come to call home for the last seven years (give or take). Harry dumped his trunks at the foot of his bed and the rest followed suit as he flopped on his bed, closing his eyes and letting the din from downstairs sooth him as well as the chatter that was beginning to form in the room.

"Whoa!" Someone shouted and caused Harry's eyes to spring open. He sat up and looked for the cause of the exclamation.

All of his roommates were crowded around Ron's bed; Harry sauntered over to the other side of the room and glanced at what the other guys were ogling.

The fireworks.

They were wrapped in dazzlingly bright colors and pictures of explosions and sparks in the shapes of inappropriate gestures and words were flashing on the paper. One was labeled "The Boomerang", claiming to return back to the wizard who set it off in the form of a flaming yellow ball, only to be extinguished and set off again.

" 'Extremely dangerous. I wouldn't open these if I were you.' " Ron read aloud the warning that was conspicuously printed below a graphic purple interpretation of the latest and most popular sex position, one that made even Harry blush.

At those words, Ron tore the wrapping off and pointed his wand at the explosives.

"Ron-" Harry tried to stop him, but he was interrupted by a deafening CRACK that resounded and echoed through out the room, followed by the sounds of shattering glass and falling stones.

The boys ducked their heads and listened to the whistling of the fireworks.

Although to look up and see where the fireworks could've possibly shot to, everyone looked up at their new ceiling of stars, and jagged walls around them. They stared up in awe of the grotesque and lewd pictures and words that were being projected into the night sky.

Their reveries were only destroyed as the unmistakable screech of Hermione resounded from the lower floor of Gryffindor Tower at the sound ad sight of The Boomerang crashing through the wrong wall and into common room.

"RONALD!"

Ron blanched.

"Shit."

**Yaayy Ron, for screwing things up! **

**We'll see where this goes from here, I think I have the next chapter pretty much figured out, but I'm definitely going to need you guys to keep this thing going. **

**I plan on making this entire story up as I go, letting the readers feed me ideas. **

**The title will stay this plain and simple as it is, for I have no idea where the story will lead to after the next chapter. **

**I'm accepting ideas through reviews or PM (preferably PM if they're borderline amazing). I'll give you credit if I use one of your ideas.**

**Let your imaginations flow, my dearies! **

**I'm planning on TRYING to update every Tuesday or Wednesday, but who knows how long that'll keep up.**

**(oh wait….it will if I get good ideas ;D)**

**I reserve the longest ANs for the first chapter, so..yeah. [: **

**R&R, loves!**

**~meGaN**

*** someone pick a password relating to Harry's heroic Saving-Of-The-world for me and I'll insert it in. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's hoping you all liked the first chapter :D I believe things will start to get more interesting in this chapter!**

**Stay by me! 3**

The boys on the top dormitory tore their attention away from the scream downstairs and gazed up at the night sky that had replaced their ceiling and light fixtures.

"Fuck, Ron, we're screwed!" Seamus yelled, looking around the room as everyone's eyes settled on Neville, who was vainly attempting to use repairo on the disheveled tower. The silvery sparks that were being emitted from his wand attempted to surround the wreckage, but they gave up in desperation and tinkled back on the wooden floor.

The sounds of many pairs of feet trampling up the stairs made Harry look at the door just as half of Gryffindor tower (or at least what was left of it) burst into their room, some gasping, some laughing, a few even yelping. Everyone was talking at once, chiding Ron and the others, while a few boys looked up at the remaining pictures and giggled.

"Ron!" Hermione stomped over to the redhead, whose face was the same hue as his hair. He cringed when his girlfriend yelled his name.

"Yes, dear?" He whispered in a small voice.

"I cannot believe what you just did! Do you know what this means?" Hermione was beyond furious at Ron. He looked as if he were about to explain himself, but she gave him no chance.

"Expulsion! Suspension! Not to mention the fact that it can't be repaired magically! That bloody fireball shot back and knocked out the common room walls and several other floors! Where will people sleep?"

"Hermione-" Harry stepped in and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away, turning on him.

"And you!" Pointing an accusing finger at Harry, who stepped back in shock. "I would think that you of all people would stop him!"

"I tried!" Harry defended, shrugging his shoulders dramatically and taking a moment to glare at Ron.

"Bollocks!" She shot back at him, earning a laugh from the surrounding people. She looked about ready to turn on them as well, but Professor McGonagall saved the amused students by parting the crowd, her lips in a tight and angry line worthy of Harry's Aunt Petunia.

"You four," She looked at Harry, Ron, Seamus and Neville, "come with me."

"Professor-" Harry caught the sleeve of McGonagall's robes and she turned around.

"Yes, Potter?"

Harry sighed. "It wasn't Seamus or Neville, please don't punish them as well."

The Professor sighed heavily. "Fine. Finnigan, Longbottom-you stay here." She turned back around and motioned for Harry and Ron to follow.

Harry tugged on Ron's robes and pulled him along, both of their faces burning as they took the walk of shame through the room and the tower-and it wasn't the type of shameful walk they wanted to be having.

The three were silent as they walked to The Headmistress's office, and Harry went through the possible consequences he could be facing soon.

"Lemondrop." She snapped at the entrance, causing the wall and statue to rotate and turn into a staircase. Harry noted to himself that she kept the same password scheme as Professor Dumbledore as they quietly ascended the staircase.

Not much change had come to the office during the switch of occupants. Portraits of the previous Headmasters of Hogwarts were still lined up against the back wall, and there was one added. Harry's heart jumped when he was the crinkled and smiling face of Albus Dumbledore looking back at him from his frame. He tried to have a stern face, but Harry saw the glint of mischief that was present in the old wizard's twinkling blue eyes. The cushioned chairs that were placed in front of the desk were the same ones that Harry had sat in many times, but it was odd to see a different figure perched behind the familiar desk.

"Boys," Professor McGonagall began, burying her face in her hands before looking up at the two students in front of her, and shaking her head with a small, but in discernible smile. "You have managed to destroy the majority of Gryffindor Tower." Harry and Ron cringed at hearing their deed spoken out loud.

"This is something I have never, in all my years of teaching, had to see. Knowing the trouble you two have been in, I'm not very surprised that it was you who eventually saw it through."

Harry chuckled in agreement and glanced at Ron, who was surely worrying about what his Mother would say.

"I won't be punishing you-" She continued, causing both of the offenders to snap their heads up in clear disbelief. "_harshly_." She added, causing the recently erect heads to slump back down.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked reluctantly.

"That, for the few months it will take to repair the damage manually, I have decided that the Gryffindor house shall be divided and sent to room with the remaining houses." She replied, looking at Harry from over her glasses.

"How is that a punishment?" Ron queried, afraid he already knew the answer.

"Because you and your dormitory will now be residing with the Slytherin house."

* * *

><p>Harry and Ron grumbled to each other the entire walk back to their ruined rooms, furious over having to room with Slytherins.<p>

"Does this mean we have to sleep in the same room as them?" Ron asked Harry angrily.

"Well, Ron, I wouldn't think that they have an empty dorm laying around." Harry replied with a smirk. Ron cursed under his breath as they reached the portrait, and Ron muttered the same password that it was earlier in the night.

After the painting swung shut behind them, Harry got a chill due to the new draft that was wafting trough the spacious holes in the walls. Harry groaned and summoned his things from upstairs, causing Ron to do the same. They turned back towards the entry, wanting to escape from the grasp of angry stares as soon as possible, when Hermione spotted them.

"Where are you two going?" She demanded before looking at their trunks in hand, her face dropping as her mind flew top the worst.

"To our new rooms." Harry told her. Hermione cocked her head in confusion.

"I guess everyone else will be getting the news soon, but McGonagall's splitting everyone to different houses while the repairs are being done." He explained.

"And guess where we're going?" Ron supplied her with a cheerfully fake voice. He answered for her. "Slytherin."

Her face contorted into a cringe.

"Please don't die there-or become corrupted." She told them. Harry laughed and gave her a hug.

"I love you both, you better still sit with me at meals." She continued with a small smile before standing on her toes and placing her hands on either side of Ron's face and giving him a passionate kiss. "Bye," she whispered to him. He smiled and kissed her back.

"See you soon, 'Mione." He replied, turning to exit the Common rooms with Harry.

As soon as Harry stepped out of the portrait, he ran headlong into a tall figure. He stumbled a tad, and promptly glanced up into the swirling eyes he'd felt hate for his whole life at Hogwarts.

"Boo," Malfoy said softly in Harry's face, causing an odd tingle to rush down his spine, one he blamed on surprise, although it didn't feel quite the same.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron sneered, allowing Harry to collect himself.

"You should be nicer to the one you'll be rooming with for the next three months-I could prank you in your sleep." Malfoy drawled back with a hint of honey in his voice.

"Rooming with you? As if." Ron snorted.

Malfoy ignored him and pushed past Harry, his robes brushing the bare skin of Harry's arm, causing another chill. Malfoy stopped and saw the raised hairs and a half-smile spread along his thin lips.

"I'm terribly sorry if I make you uncomfortable Potter-just try not to pull too many moves on he while we share a room." The blonde said this to the clearly, and unexplainably, flustered raven and turned on his heel to walk down the corridor.

Harry glanced at Ron, who was staring incredulously at Malfoy's back with his mouth twisted in what looked like disgust.

Without a look back, Malfoy called to them, "Follow me."

Harry and Ron had no choice but to shake their heads and follow as far back from Malfoy as they possible could.

"What was that about?" Ron whispered to Harry as they followed the twisting staircases through the dark halls.

"Dunno," Harry replied, his mind running around the comment Malfoy had made…

"Do you think you'll have to room with him? Like, by yourself? He is a prefect, has his own room." Ron wondered aloud.

"I was just thinking about that. But why me? Why not you or Seamus? Or Neville?" Ron shuddered at the thought Harry posed.

"Maybe McGonagall knows you're least likely to kill the bloody prat." Ron snarled.

"Hush up back there-I'm not deaf!" Malfoy suddenly called from ahead of them. "We're nearly there."

Ron and Harry were quiet as they noticed that they had entered the cold, gloomy dungeons. Harry was a bit intimidated to ender the snake's lair again, only this time he was actually invited.

"Long live Severus." Malfoy whispered the password to Paranoid Pete, who sighed grimly and swung forward to allow the Slytherin Prince and his 'hostages' into the cave of a common room.

The light was dull and tinged with a green color, due to the swampy light casting through the dark windows that led to the depths of the Lake. The air was colder than the Tower, and all of the walls and floors were a dull black stone, the same that the dungeons were comprised of. A regal and spiraled staircase led to what Harry believed to be the dormitories. Another twin staircase was on the opposing side of the square room, which led to the opposite gender's room. Nestled in between the two staircases was a crackling fireplace and spacious leather couches and seats, comfortably worn throughout the centuries and tattered green rugs and velvety silver pillows dotting the cushions. Harry eyed a snake-studded tapestry on the wall to his right as he climbed the staircase, following Malfoy to their new quarters.

"Weasley, you're here," Malfoy presented Ron's new room with an air of boredom, flicking his wand to the door, causing it to fly open and reveal a small room with three beds. Deafening snores were flying through the open door, and a quick glance into the lightly moonlit room revealed two of the beds being smothered by gargantuan bodies. "You'll be rooming with Crabbe and Goyle." He paused to observe the horrorstruck face that had slowly, but surely, crept onto the redhead's face before adding, "but don't worry; I told them to play nice.

Ron looked desperately at Harry, who shrugged in apology before knocked in the back of the head by Malfoy to leave his friend at the threshold of his personal Hell and continue up the stairs.

"And where am I supposed to be going?" Harry quipped after a few flights.

"Keep walking. You'll know when to stop." Malfoy smirked.

Harry did indeed realize when to stop: when there were no more stairs. He was stopped in front of a regal door that has a silver plaque with the words "Prefect" emblazoned on it with decorative snakes garnishing the edges. Harry coughed back a snort. Malfoy eyed him in an unfriendly way and said his personal password.

"Scorpio." He shot at the door, which promptly opened and revealed a spacious bedroom with a grand kind-sized bed and a desk below a window that looked upon the landscape of the Lake with it's mountainous horizon.

Harry tossed his trunk in the corner and stood in the middle of the room.

"There's one bed." He stated. Malfoy turned to look at him blankly.

"And?" He drawled.

"Well…I..I don't really think you want to share a bed with me." Harry said lamely.

"And what makes you say that?" Malfoy drawled again, a gleam in his eyes.

Harry let the innuendo fall and charmed the duvet of the luxurious bed and slipped between the sheets.

"I kick in my sleep, is all; brace yourself." Harry countered, shutting off the lights with his wand and leaving poor Malfoy in the dark.

"Don't pull anything, Potter. I don't like to be seduced." Malfoy spat as Harry felt him crawl into bed beside him. Harry laughed out loud as he heard a barrier charm being cast behind him, Malfoy's way of insuring that Harry wouldn't lay a hand on him.

"In your dreams, Malfoy." Harry murmured into his pillow, beginning to drift off to sleep after a chaotic first day-but he never thought the nights' antics would land him in bed with Draco Malfoy.

**Ooooohhh…sharing a room..and a bed…. ;D**

**More to come soon! I'm too excited for this, so I really don't think I'll be able to wait a week to post an new chapter, but we'll see what happens…..I actually don't know what to do next…..**

**Please give me something to go off of! This is as far as I planned.**

**Love you all!**

**~meGaN**


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